It's Dangerous To Go Alone!

For something a little different, let's consider some resources for burgeoning researchers out there...

The beginning of a career in research is often described as
an adventure – a journey of self-discovery, where the adventurer must face
deeps valleys and ascend tall peaks for the pursuit of knowledge. And as a wise
old man once said, it’s
dangerous to go alone! So take this: a collection of gems to be found
within the PLOS collections titled Ten Simple Rules. All
of the articles found within the Ten Simple Rules collection are published
within PLOS Computational Biology; if
this isn’t your field, fear not! Most articles within the collection transcend
field of interest, and are useful tools throughout your career. And, because it's PLOS, it's open access, and can be useful to those outside of institutions and non-researchers as well.

8 bit mysticism care of The Legend of Zelda (1986), pretend the sword is this post

My first encounter with the Ten Simple Rules collection was
in 2014. I was writing my Master’s thesis and was trying to eke out useable
figures that weren’t crowded or useless. A herald from beyond, Ten
Simple Rules for Better Figures, clearly outlined all aspects of figure
generation I had to consider. The basics were there – Rule 5: Do Not Trust The
Defaults – as well as plenty of tips and resources that benefit beginners and
experts alike. In the end, my own figures were stronger, and I also made sure
to make them accessible and check for how the images looked for those with
red/green colour-blindness, something I had never considered before and now won’t
ever forget.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. Instead, when
going through the collection, you may start to wonder why these articles are needed. The goal of most of these articles
is an attempt to bridge a gap in training or knowledge. This may be a gap that
the authors may have experienced themselves, or challenges of peers that they
witness. When members of the PLOS Ecology community were
asked in an informal survey about the trade-offs between teaching and
research, a rule of thumb emerged: “If they are asking for 3-4 classes per
semester and research excellence, you’ll have to ask yourself where that
extra time is going to come from.” The results are daunting, but take heed,
there’s a Ten
Simple Rules that may help you out early before it’s too late.

PhD candidate at the Wageningen University in The Netherlands; Canadian
by birth, former German resident for 3 years, current Dutch resident by permit; enthusiast of science, ecology, biocontrol,
conservation, intersectional feminism, interdisciplinary works,
geocaching, and sustainable tourism.
BSc Biological Sciences, University of Alberta '12MSc Ecology, University of Bremen '15